Is it just me or is this tactic way more difficult way harder than its rating of 655 would indicate?

https://www.chess.com/puzzles/problem/33399/practice

Its easy to see the pawn can fork the queen and bishop but for me it is difficult to judge if its going to get me anyway


Or do the ratings not refer to what you would expect a player of that rating to be able to solve??

That problem was rated over 1200. How it got to 665 is a mystery.

i have noticed puzzle rating are all over the map
sometimes during a puzzle rush if i dont get the usual 1 move backrank mates in the first fee problems there will be the most vague puzzles rated at 400ish; they are odd and sometimes easy to screw up (at least for me when i am working fast in that format)

there are some real stinkers in the puzzle pool; the classic “not really a tactic” tactic; the “not really a tactic” tactic coupled with a totally random blunder by computer on next move of the variation; i get 2200 puzzles that i solve in 5 seconds and 1200 puzzles i have a hard time with

as i have said many times; the tactics trainer is ok for “testing” your tactics but maybe harder to gauge now since the puzzle ratings are all over the map; there are better ways to “train” tactics where the puzzles/positions really hammer home the motifs

my $.02

I’d agree it is. At 655 about all you know is the names of the pieces and how they move...doubt they would even know what a fork is let alone how to calculate a combination through to see if it nets an advantage.

 

Repeat solvers!!!

 

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/tactics-with-repeat-solvers-average-time-decrease-from-29-mins-to-1-40-mins

 

It's a simple fork.

The fork doesn't get you anywhere though unless you see that you have to sacrifice the initial pawn and then also go down an exchange on c3

I doubt any 650 player would see that continuation

I figured it out quickly but I agree that this puzzle should be rated higher than 655.

No down an exchange. The position is lost for him after Qf5. 

I am an elderly player who will sometimes have a low rating, specially on speed chess. I like to play 2/1 but really should play 5 min or higher. I get complaints/comments about my rating often. And my play occasionally. All I am saying is rating can be low for various reasons. I suspect that the puzzles are lifted from actual play and reflect the rating at the time of play. A low rating is common on new players who are handicapped by the speed of their ISP servers, their own equipment, etc. when playing a speed game.

??? Its only lost after Qf5 if you follow it up with that exchange sacrifice on c3